Plant Industry - Plant Protection Section

Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana (Walker)

The light brown apple moth (LBAM), Epiphyas postvittana (Walker), is a highly polyphagous pest that attacks a wide variety of fruits, trees and other plants. This species has a relatively restricted geographic distribution, found only in parts of Europe and Oceania. The pest is a native of Australia but has successfully invaded other countries. It has been determined that the establishment of this pest in the United States would have a severe effect on U.S. agriculture and natural ecosystem. Unfortunately, it has become established in California with seventeen counties now under quarantine. The quarantine areas consists of counties surrounding San Francisco Bay and extending southward along the coast to and including Los Angeles County.

Description LBAM eggs are pale green and are laid in flat, overlapping masses resembling fish scales on the upper surface of the leaves (Fig. 1).

After hatching, the larvae pass through six instars. Young larvae are tiny (a few millimeters long) with a yellow-green body and brown head. At maturity, larvae are 10-18 mm long and green in color (Fig. 2).

The LBAM has up to four generations a year in Australia. Females have a wingspan of about 2 cm. The forewings are a yellowish-brown with less distinct markings than the male. Males are much smaller than females. The forewings of the males are yellowish-brown at the base of the wing with darker, reddish-brown markings toward the tip (Fig. 3). There can be considerable variation in the markings.

Image Credits
Figures 1, 2, 4: Department of Primary Industries, New South Wales, Australia
Figures 3, 5, 6: Material used with kind permission of HortNET, a product of The
Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand Limited.